


From Knighthood With Love

by Taste_of_Suburbia



Category: From Paris with Love (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Battling Evil Forces, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dark Magic, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Falling In Love, Fantasy, First Meetings, Friendship, Getting Together, Knights & Knighthood, Loyalty, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Partners to Lovers, Sorcerers, Swords & Sorcery, The Evils of Drugs, Trope Bingo Round 12, Wax and Reece are Knights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 04:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18804100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_of_Suburbia/pseuds/Taste_of_Suburbia
Summary: The much revered knight Charles Wax takes on his most vital assignment yet, grudgingly accepts a partner he believes he doesn’t need and in the process, learns the benefits of solidarity.





	From Knighthood With Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fill on my Trope Bingo [card](https://immolate-the-silence.dreamwidth.org/30129.html) for AU: Fairy Tale/Myth. 
> 
> As much as I initially struggled with this prompt, I honestly think I had WAY too much fun writing this. Can you seriously picture Wax and Reece as knights though? = Awesomeness :D
> 
> I was inspired to write a fairy tale after reading the strange little tale [Katie Crackernuts.](http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/twelvedancing/stories/katiecrackernuts.html)

 

ONCE upon a time there was a heroic knight who had served his kingdom for many, many long years. This knight was particularly renowned for his selfless, heroic deeds, his wild and dangerous exploits the center of many a conversation at the dinner tables of peasants and nobility alike. While highly esteemed by his prince and countrymen; however, the knight also had a reputation for not playing well with others. He often worked alone, taking assignments that his fellow knights would not touch nor accompany him on.

One star-filled night of familial sorrow, for the young prince had lost his most trusted aid to potent and forbidden herbs, the grief-stricken heir to the throne called upon this most celebrated knight, Charles Wax, better known as Charlie.

“Your highness.” Wax bowed, as was customary even though the young prince had not yet taken the throne. He had been in his presence many a time for celebratory feasts and necessary group debriefings, though he had never alone been summoned.

“My most noble knight,” the prince greeted warmly though with great remorse. “I have a difficult and, I fear, much too deadly task to place before you.”

Wax’s curiosity increased greatly, for he often considered tasks that were not dangerous vastly beneath his skill and time. If the prince had such a fear-provoking assignment for him, then he would accept it with valor and bring it to fruition even if it meant loss of life or limb, such was his devotion for his kingdom and for his prince.

He pledged his loyalty as such, emphasizing that no task could prove too difficult nor fraught with too much peril. The prince, clearly moved though also regretful of his desperate need, nonetheless proceeded. “There are men gathering in the many lands of my beloved late father that wish to challenge my authority. First, they seek to destroy everything that I hold most dear, with their use of poisons in many forms. It is their ultimate purpose, however, to incite fear and violence, thwarting whomever and whatever lies in their path. You must find these men, noble knight, and you must put an end to them. By whatever means necessary,” the prince added upon seeing Wax’s questioning, uncertain gaze.

Wax bowed once more, kissing the ring of the young prince’s father that he so reverently wore. “My highness, by whatever means necessary, I will avenge this danger to our kingdom and this affront to your royal birthright. I swear it on my life.”

Such was the day when the brave, sword-happy knight, many long years past the prime of his youth, made his most sacred promise yet.

* * *

 

The knight did not know, however, that his prince had assigned him a partner, a knight in-training no less.

When he traveled to the village believed to hold information that would aid in the tracking of the rebel groups, he was barred entrance. Enraged, the knight, who was never one known for holding his tongue, forgot his position and launched vulgar, threatening insults at the village guard. They would not budge and nor would he and indeed, no progress was made until a knight far younger than he strode up to the wooden gate and asked, rather smugly, what the trouble seemed to be. Fuming, Wax quietly demanded that this knight do whatever was necessary to gain him entrance to the village.

The knight, insulted, seemed to assume that Wax believed him his valet, assigned merely to care for his horse and maintain the effectiveness, or rather, sharpness of his blades.

Wax impatiently informed him with several carefully chosen words that this was not the case and that, if he wished to fulfill his duty as his partner, he should quickly pay off the guards with whatever he had at his disposal.

The young knight that would soon after become Wax’s partner pulled rank instead, displaying a small ring bearing the royal emblem to the group of now stunned guards. Wax immediately recognized the ring as the young prince’s own, the one which he had kissed not a fortnight ago.

Knowing time was of the utmost essence, he brushed past his new partner and entered a teeming mass of villagers, intent on bringing his own form of punishment to those who dared threaten his kingdom and his future king.

* * *

 

The two partners, although oftentimes stark opposites given their ages, dispositions and moral codes, worked together quite well.

What Reece, the younger of the two, lacked in skill and experience, he more than made up for in enthusiasm and loyalty to the crown. He would question Wax’s methods more often than not, hesitant to dabble in the gray areas Wax found as enjoyable as he did convenient, though he followed his fellow knight’s lead nonetheless, trusting in his ability to protect their lands and peoples at all costs.

After a time, Wax even stopped longing for the once solitary nature of his assignments, appreciating that he and Reece were a good match, even remarking on this to Reece when the younger knight had started to doubt his abilities as a knight.

Maybe the truth was that Wax saw much of himself in Reece, a younger version of himself that would have given anything to have such guidance.

Wax tried his best to steer him in the right direction, to teach him about the ways of the world beyond his small station in such a small village, to wake him up to the perils of their duty as knights.

And yet… as much as he might struggle to protect Reece, their very life’s mission was fraught with darkness and uncertainty and _menace_ at each twist and turn, with no path laid out clearly before them. Once the two knights had valiantly tracked down the various buyers and distributors of the illicit herbs wreaking havoc in once prosperous lands and settlements, destroying the lives of many hard-working villagers, the path did not divulge too wildly and they had little chance of losing it if they remained fixated on their purpose.

As they pressed on, however, said path grew more and more tangled with treacherous weeds they had to fight their way through, and became more and more personal as they slowly came to realize the terrible threat upon their homeland and the even more terrible responsibility upon their shoulders.

All their thus fruitful efforts came to an unexpected and unwelcome turn when the trail had turned into Reece’s own village. The despair felt in the very air was cloying, even more so once they discovered that some of Reece’s friends and neighbors were involved in the gathering and selling of these herbs. They were discovered quickly, despite their best efforts to remain hidden to collect further information, and many citizens were taken hostage; that is, those that had not yet perished from the poisonous herbs they’d fallen victim to.

Wax and Reece fought for long, arduous hours, heroically defeating many of their enemies before the remaining scattered. Some time after the chaos had come to a close, the two sat quietly as Wax patched up Reece’s injured arm. His sympathy for his fellow knight was great, his concern even greater for what Reece might have to become before they reached their victory.

As knights, however, their duty came first; they could figure the rest out once said duty was completed.

* * *

 

Their long path would next take them to its conclusion, trespassing into woods inhabited by a dark sorcerer, who was more a legend to Wax’s understanding than a true flesh and blood figure.

Their kingdom had long ago been held under the sway of such magic, kindhearted magic before the kings of old had wielded it for strictly selfish and careless purposes. They had darkened the benign, ancient powers of nature to such an extent that all magic had been banned from that time forward.

It had been far before Wax’s time, though he still remembered a childhood filled with fantastic tales of the wonders of magic and of magical folk: the ever-dancing, ever-scheming fae; the enigmatic, albeit protective centaurs; the warrior elves loyal only to magic, fighting endlessly for its purity.

He sometimes believed these tales were what drove him to become a knight.

As well as the bountiful prosperity of his kingdom under their previous king’s - may he rest in eternal, undisturbed peace - leadership. Pledging himself to such a king and such a cause had been no difficult feat and his loyalty had never wavered.

Especially now, when such dark, murderous magic was threatening the very foundations of their livelihood.

“Reece!”

Having reached his partner’s sword, which had been thrown several feet from him by the dark sorcerer, Wax grasped it in between both hands, not trusting his grip on the precious object, and tossed it over to him. Reece caught it easily and promptly slashed the dark, visible clouds of magic surrounding him, thickening with each passing moment. They were momentarily scattered by his efforts, though in mere seconds closed upon him once more.

Wax, as always, had preferred to attack first and forgo careful planning ahead of time, which his partner was no doubt berating him now for. Especially since he was practically no use to his partner, invisible forces that easily subdued him keeping him permanently away from Reece’s battle for his very soul.

This time, Wax was resigned to watch only from the sidelines.

“Submit!” The dark sorcerer commanded Reece. The clouds were so dark and thick now that Wax could scarcely make out his partner or the sorcerer in the midst of them. All he was able to do was watch from outside the field of battle, spellbound as Reece, unyielding, arduously fought against the dark magic clawing at him.

“Never,” Reece spoke, loudly and clearly. “I will not be used by one such as you.” His hand wrapped around the barely corporeal darkness grasping his throat and dislodged it, casting it aside and then falling down heavily on his knees, an unnatural impact shaking the very ground Wax knelt on. Wax rushed forward to help him, only to be pushed back yet again and to have the breath stolen from his smoke-filled lungs.

The sorcerer wasn’t finished yet; Wax feared he would not be content until he possessed Reece’s soul. “You dare deny that which your heart so desires?”

“My heart desires peace, not poison.” Reece boldly took a step forward and Wax could have imagined it, but the shadows seemed to recede from him ever so slightly. Also, the dark sorcerer appeared as if he took a staggering step back for each time Reece pressed forward, still straining against his deadly yet desperate power. “It desires truth and not lies. Trust and not _betrayal.”_

Enraged, the dark sorcerer made his final move, snarling and lunging at Reece. His partner, who had learned and grown so much in the weeks Wax had known him, stood his ground, not shifting an inch as the heavily shrouded in black form, made mostly of shadows, was sucked down beneath the earth mere inches from his prey, inhuman screeching deafening their surroundings as he tried in vain to crawl his way back up. The dark clouds that had seemed like living shadows evaporated at his brutal departure and finally, Wax was able to rejoin his partner.

No words were exchanged between them; then again, the two knew exactly what the other was thinking.

* * *

 

Reece was troubled on the long ride back to the capital, where they would be formally congratulated by the prince on their victory. He had already expressed to Wax of his intention to return to his village soon after, to try to repair the damage as well as he could or to rebuild if necessary, if their prince would grant him such leave. Wax extended the invitation to remain his partner, reminding Reece of their successful match, though he could sense that Reece’s heart was still burdened by all he had had to endure.

As the evening closed in and sent them scouting for an area where they could rest for the night, Reece finally laid bare his worries to a concerned and impatient partner. “I don’t understand, Wax. Why did everything fall on my shoulders? Why was the dark sorcerer’s power so connected to my own strength of character?”

Wax, having dismounted from his horse, held the reins of Reece’s own while he did the same. He laid a hand on his partner’s shoulder, prouder than he believed himself ever to have been. “I don’t know much about magic, Reece,” he admitted. “I have, however, heard of the power of the human spirit proving itself a mighty tool against the dark forces of nature. If you think about the far-reaching effects of those herbs, you’ll understand the potency of their will over any human who wouldn’t know their true essence. But, Reece, _you_ knew their effects while others had failed to see them; furthermore, you had a personal vendetta against them given they attacked your heart.”

“My heart…?”

Wax sighed, not wishing to bring to the surface one of the many things which weighed on Reece so. “Your village, Reece. I know you have no living family, so that village had raised you, fed you, protected you. Many of your friends took this evil into their souls and it corrupted them, and countless others perished under the indomitable will of the dark magic we only just defeated. It could only take a true knight with a pure soul to say no to such evil, to reject the happiness and pleasure it could provide for a short time, to understand that the threat it wielded against an entire kingdom far outweighed the selfish, desperate desires of one person.”

“And yet, Wax, all that you have just said to me also applies to you.”

Wax shook his head. “I have battled and won against many temptations throughout my long years, Reece. My having said no to this magic had no effect upon the sorcerer because it was an easy task for me. My heart is not so easily corrupted as yours and that is in no way a bad mark upon you. You haven’t tasted this world yet, nor the many trials you will have to endure as a knight. Your innocence may have been your weakness, Reece, yet your dedication and strong morals serve as the very symbols of our knighthood. If the sorcerer had been able to defeat you, the strength of our home would have crumbled and faded into ash and dust.”

Reece pondered over Wax’s explanations for many long minutes while the latter unpacked their bare essentials for the night and started a fire. He would give Reece as long as he needed, for he knew how sure about the world and set in his ways he himself was and yet how unsure his partner was.

The longer they remained in each other’s company in quiet contemplation, the more Reece seemed to calm. When he spoke, his words were bursting with clarity and gratitude. “Then I suppose it is fortunate that I had my first trial with you, Wax. With a partner I can trust and not alone.”

Wax grinned with pride and mutual feeling, affectionately ruffling the boy’s, _his_ boy’s hair. “You didn’t need me, Reece. You had that power and commitment and _love_ inside of you all along.”

Reece pressed close to Wax in response, shivering in the chill of the evening air. Granting himself just one indulgence, reminding himself he need not run from this one, Wax continued to run his fingers through Reece’s hair in a soothing manner, arm slung across Reece’s shoulders and rubbing his arm to warm him as well. It would be two days before they reached the outer reaches of Reece’s village; they had time.

Wax pulled Reece closer, dreading the close of the chapter in his life that destiny had granted him these past few weeks. He pressed a kiss to Reece’s hair, breathed in his woodsy scent and merely held him, finding it came as naturally to him as breathing and fighting.

“Wax….” The older knight stilled, despite that his companion wasn’t trying to pull away. “Nothing.” Reece turned into his embrace, smiling sleepily though just as affectionately at him. “I’m glad I’m here with you.”

And the words, an echo of Wax’s own thoughts, reverberated throughout his heart and even reached its deepest, darkest, untouched recesses.

So Wax had found a fellow knight and partner, one whom he could trust in, protect and love; and Reece had found the very same as well as an honorable calling; and the two would for many years after embark on the young prince’s and their eventual king’s most pressing and dangerous assignments, never failing to conquer each deadly foe and, having each other and the boundless appreciation of their kingdom, they lived _happily ever after_ and were never left wanting.

**FIN**

 

 


End file.
